What She Learned
by Vehka
Summary: Ariadne wants to learn how to forge. Eames agrees to teach her. Ariadne/Eames


**A/N: **I absolutely loved writing this and even though Eames is pretty difficult character to write about, I hope I catched him. I wish you like it.

**What She learned**

"So, how do you do it?"

It's already late. They sit in the Cobb's kitchen, all the other team members have already gone to sleep but she have waited so she could ask that specific question. Eames smirks.

"Do what?" he asks, even though he knows what Ariadne wants.

"How do you do the forgery?"

"I can't explain it, darling. Not really", he says, still smiling. "You have to learn it yourself."

"Oh, c'mon", Ariadne begs. He grins and there's a challenge in his eyes.

"Would you dare to come with me? To the dream?"

And after a moment of hesitation, she says yes.

* * *

Ariadne looks around in the dream city, only to see herself waiting. She rolls her eyes.

"Really funny, Eames."

"Isn't it?" the forger says. He sounds perfectly same as Ariadne. He looks perfectly same, except his smirk in Ariadne's face reminds far too much Eames' smirk.

"I already knew you could do that", she says, "but how?"

Eames turns back to himself. His eyes are deep and intense, his voice is soft:

"I know you. I know all of them. The better I know you, the better I can forge to you."

"But you don't know me at all!" Ariadne protests. "We have known each other for such short while, and we've barely talked at all, and..."

"Yet I know you", Eames whispers. "For that is my speciality, darling."

"How?" now she's scared.

"By watching you. How you bite your lips when you're anxious. How you look at Arthur. How you squint your eyes when you are concentrating. How your mind goes to some unreachable place when you desing new mazes or build the dreams."

"But you can't see through me without ever talking to me", she says.

"No, I can't, that's true. But I can see enough. And if you tried, you could also do it. Just look at me. Think about everything you know about me – or ask, if you're not sure. Although I don't promise I'll tell all the answers. And when you think you can do it, come to me again, so I can see if you can do it."

And then he's gone. Ariadne looks around in the city, but she already knows she can't find him – he might be any of the projections, really. So she just waits for the dream wear off. And thinks, mostly about Eames and what she knows about him. (And she realizes she doesn't know anything at all.)

* * *

It turns out to be really hard. While the team stays at Cobb's place, Ariadne spends her time observing Eames, the way he dresses and walks and talks. She notices more than she's noticed before, but it's never enough.

Eames sees it all. He looks back, amused, and when Arthur asks the forger if Ariadne has crush on him, Eames laughs and gives him a wink.

"I'll never tell you, darling", he says and is secretly satisfied knowing that Arthur is jealous because he doesn't get all Ariadne's attention anymore.

Three days later, when Eames sits at the backyard, reading some magazine and just enjoying the pure sun light, Ariadne stops next to him.

"Get up", she says. Eames raises his eyebrow but then stands up.

"So, what now?" he asks, grinning. Ariadne doesn't say anything, she just pushes her lips against his . When he's about to answer the kiss, Ariadne pulls back.

"That was enough, thank you. Now, take of your shirt."

Eames shakes his head.

"Nice try, girl, but it isn't that easy. But to be honest, you don't even need that part of me, unless you're planning to get to be me naked."

Ariadne flushes and turns away. Eames chuckles.

* * *

They're in a dream. Ariadne is still herself, but Eames is pretty sure she's going to try forging this time.

"So, do you think you could do it?" he asks. He has to admit his a bit impatient already.

"No", she says.

"Why? You wanted to learn it so badly", he is suprised.

"When I learned to know you better, I understood something", Ariadne says. She looks at her shoes, as she wouldn't dare to look at Eames.

"And what was that?"

"I could never be you completely. Even if I had a thousand lifetimes, I couldn't learn everything about you. You're too complex, you're like a painting with so many layers of color it's impossible to count them."

"So you give up?" Eames sounds a bit teasing.

"No. I'm going to find out everything about you – but not because I'd like to forge to you. I'll do it because it's impossible for me to stop anymore. I guess... I just might..."

"Don't say it", Eames stops her. "I'm good at reading you, as I already told before. And you're welcome to explore me as much as you want."

She lifts her gaze.

"And you may even kiss me again if you like. Just as many times as you wish."


End file.
